


Shells Are Meant To Be Cracked Open

by BridgetMcKennitt



Category: Castle
Genre: Character of Color, Collection: Purimgifts Day 1, Friendship, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-11
Updated: 2012-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 23:10:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetMcKennitt/pseuds/BridgetMcKennitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate was a young cop when she first met Lanie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shells Are Meant To Be Cracked Open

**Author's Note:**

  * For [apodiopsys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/apodiopsys/gifts).



The first dead body Kate had seen had been her mother's and it hadn't been a pleasant experience whatsoever. Bringing about justice and catching bad guys was one thing, but dealing with dead bodies on a daily basis was another.

Meeting someone who purposely chose to work with dead bodies was something altogether.

The medical examiner looked up from the examination table and gave Kate a cool look. "Yes?"

Kate took a step forward and held out her hand. "I'm Kate Beckett."

"Lanie Parish. I'd shake your hand but I don't think you'd want me to right now."

Kate noticed the state of Lanie's gloves and she dropped her hand before chuckling. "Sorry, I don't do well with corpses."

"Not everyone does." Lanie smiled and took off her gloves before heading to the sink to wash her hands. "What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you found anything on the victim that would help us catch the murderer."

"I pulled out the bullet that killed him. I'll have to send it to ballistics, but it looks like it came from a 9MM. There was also some trace elements of what looks like glitter in his hair."

Kate blinked. "Glitter?"

"Shiny, red glitter. There was also a faint imprint of a stamp on the inside of his right wrist." Lanie turned the victim's wrist so Kate could see it. "It looks like our victim went clubbing before he died."

"That might help. Thank you, Lanie."

"Don't mention it. Good luck, Kate."

***

"Thank you, Lanie." Kate returned a couple of weeks later. There wasn't a corpse in sight, only Lanie writing a report at her desk.

Lanie looked up and smiled. "For what?"

"For your help on the Jefferson case. We caught the perp because of what you found. The evidence about the club was a huge help."

"Don't mention it. I was just doing my job."

Before Lanie could return to her report, Katie cleared her throat. "I was hoping I could treat you to lunch. Have you eaten yet?"

Lanie gave her a look before smiling. "I haven't. That would be nice, thank you."

They ended up at a nearby bistro and Kate couldn't stop laughing at the stories Lanie regaled her with. "You can't be serious. That didn't happen."

"I swear on my honor it did." Lanie picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. "You're new to the police force, aren't you?"

Kate flushed as she reached for a napkin. "How can you tell?"

"You got that new cop look about you. I hope you never lose it. Some of the cops who visit my office aren't as polite or endearing as you are, and none of them have certainly never bought me lunch or told me I helped them on a case. I like that."

Kate looked down at her sandwich for a few moments before meeting Lanie's gaze. "You're right about being new. It wasn't long since I had left the academy."

Lanie leaned forward on her arms. "So what made you decide to want to become a cop?" Her smile faded a little and Lanie immediately winced. "I'm sorry, you don't have to say a word if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's fine. Let's just say the first time I saw a dead body wasn't while I was a cop. Enough about me though. What about you? Why did you become a medical examiner?"

"Let's just say I was one of those weird kids in high school who liked dissecting in her biology classes a little too much. Making a career out of it seemed like a natural thing to do." She grinned. "It also doesn't hurt that I'm brilliant at my job."

"That definitely doesn't hurt. I know it's too soon to start thinking about it, but I'm hoping to get promoted to detective in the homicide department." Kate took a bite of her sandwich before grabbing her cup.

"If that happens, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

"Hopefully, not always in a work capacity because I like this. I don't get to do much besides work and go home to read a book."

"Then I suggest we do it more often. We can go out and have some fun. Trust me, Kate, I know how to have some fun."

It wasn't a week since their lunch date when Lanie walked into the police station in a gorgeous dress to visit Kate. "Your shift ends in a couple of minutes, so I was thinking you should come out drinking with me."

"I can't say my uniform is going to fit in compared to what you're wearing." Kate began putting away the paperwork on her desk.

Lanie laughed. "If you want, we can swing by your place so you can change."

"I'd like that." Kate stood up and when Lanie held out her arm, Kate linked her arm with her. As they walked out of the police office, Kate squeezed Lanie's arm and grinned at her. "I'm so excited for tonight."

"You and me, Kate. We're going to paint the town red."

Icon for you!


End file.
